The link between chronic inflammation and increased risk of developing some cancers is well established. The molecular mechanisms that underlie this process (cause) as well as the chronic inflammation that accompanies cancer (consequence) continue to be elucidated. Cancer-associated inflammation has effects on the ability of cancers to metastasize, on the clinical manifestations of cancer, and on the ability of the patient to tolerate anticancer therapy. The identification of biomarkers of cancer-associated inflammation will assist in identifying patients at risk of its consequences.

Background The benefits of an active lifestyle after a breast cancer diagnosis are well recognized, but the majority of survivors are insufficiently active. The ACTIVATE Trial examined the efficacy of an intervention (use of the Garmin Vivofit 2 activity monitor coupled with a behavioral feedback and goal‐setting session and 5 telephone‐delivered health coaching sessions) to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and reduce sedentary behavior in breast cancer survivors. Methods This randomized controlled trial recruited 83 inactive, postmenopausal women diagnosed with stage I‐III breast cancer who had completed primary treatment. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group or to the control group, and the intervention was delivered over a 12‐week period. MVPA and sedentary behavior were measured with Actigraph and activPAL accelerometers at baseline (T1) and at the end of the intervention (T2). Results Retention in the trial was high, with 80 (96%) of participants completing T2 data collection. At T2, there was a significant between‐group difference in MVPA (69 min/wk; 95% CI = 22‐116) favoring the intervention group. The trial resulted in a statistically significant decrease in both total sitting time and prolonged bouts (≥20 min) of sitting, with between‐group reductions of 37 min/d (95% CI = −72 to −2) and 42 min/d (95% CI = −83 to −2), respectively, favoring the intervention group. Conclusion Results from the ACTIVATE Trial suggest that the use of wearable technology presents an inexpensive and scalable opportunity to facilitate more active lifestyles for cancer survivors. Whether or not such wearable technology‐based interventions can create sustainable behavioral change should be the subject of future research.

WATs are perceived as useful and acceptable interventions by postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Effective WAT interventions may benefit from taking advantage of the simple features of the trackers paired with other behavioural change techniques, such as specialist counselling, doctor monitoring and peer support, along with simple manual instructions.

Cancer cachexia/anorexia is a complex syndrome that involves profound metabolic imbalances and is directly implicated as a cause of death in at least 20% to 30% of all cancers. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a key role in thermogenesis and energy balance and potentially contributes to the physiologic perturbations associated with cachexia. In this study, we investigated the impact of cachexia-inducing colorectal tumor on BAT in mice. We found that brown adipocytes were smaller and exhibited profound delipidation in cachectic tumor-bearing mice. Diurnal expression profiling of key regulators of lipid accumulation and fatty acid β-oxidation and their corresponding target genes revealed dramatic molecular changes indicative of active BAT. Increased Ucp1, Pbe, and Cpt1α expression at specific points coincided with higher BAT temperatures during the dark cycle, suggestive of a temporal stimulation of thermogenesis in cachexia. These changes persisted when cachectic mice were acclimatized to 28°C confirming inappropriate stimulation of BAT despite thermoneutrality. Evidence of inflammatory signaling also was observed in the BAT as an energetically wasteful and maladaptive response to anorexia during the development of cachexia.